bay tree

The Hebrew word so rendered is ereh, which simply means “native born”, i.e., a tree not transplanted, but growing on its native soil, and therefore luxuriantly.

If the psalmist intended by this word to denote any particular tree, it may have been the evergreen bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), which is a native of Israel. Instead of “like a green bay tree” in the Authorized Version, the Revised Version has, “like a green tree in its native soil.”